Nigerian socialite and businessman Obi Iyiegbu, widely known as Obi Cubana, has explained the reasoning behind the extravagant funeral he held for his mother in 2021.
In an interview with media personality Chude Jideonwo, shared on Friday, Cubana revealed that his family has a history of not living beyond the age of 80, with his father, grandfather, and uncle all having passed away before reaching that milestone.
Determined to break the “generational curse,” Cubana said he made it a priority to celebrate his mother’s birthdays in grand style, with the hope that she would live beyond 80.
Despite her passing at the age of 78, Cubana and his siblings chose to honor her memory with an extravagant funeral, using the savings they had originally set aside for her 80th birthday celebration.
Cubana said, “In my family, I am saying it for the first time: nobody has lived up to 80. My father died at 66, my father’s brother died at 75, my grandfather died at 78, and I told my mum, ‘You will break this.”
“I told her to break it if it’s a generational curse or something. I promised her that for the burial I would throw for her, nobody would break, and we started saving up for that.
“I think she died on December 31. She was 78 and a half, and we were all looking forward to her 80th birthday. But what happened happened, so let’s celebrate her. At least she almost broke it.”
